Eight years ago the rain started, and wouldn't stop. Water levels rose and the dam broke. Families were caught in the flood and several lives were lost. Among those was Lucy's little brother. While she was able to help save many, Clay was not one of them, and his body was never recovered. Despite having just been a child herself, this is a heavy burden Lucy continues to carry.

Slowly but surely the town rebuilt what had been destroyed and they tried to move on, though this singular event shaped so many of the characters' lives from that point on. Lucy and her friends came of age, bound together by the trauma of losing so many.

Fast forward to the present day and Lucy is about to graduate from high school. She's also looking forward to competing at the Olympics in the air rifle competition. But then her stepbrother Martin goes missing and the search leads to the same area of land where Clay died nearly a decade earlier.

Everyone has secrets, including Lucy. She knows what her stepbrother was up to the day he vanished, but she isn't sure who she can trust with that information. It turns out Martin was asking questions about the dam and why it broke, questions someone didn't want anyone to know the answers to.

And then the search for Martin turns into a murder investigation, though he is only the first victim of several. All clues start pointing toward Lucy's ex-boyfriend, Neil. She is sure he isn't responsible, and is determined to find the real killer. Even so, Neil is arrested and Lucy knows she does not have much time to prove he is innocent.

This story was immensely engaging and despite me having read so many in this genre, there were times where I suspected nearly every single character in the book; everyone looked guilty in one way or another. The author does a fantastic job of creating fully fleshed-out characters, distinct despite a somewhat larger cast to keep track of, and I did not feel overwhelmed trying to remember who was connected to who, and how.

This is a well-written, emotionally-charged novel. The author weaves a fantastic story with plenty of twists and turns, a little misdirection, and a lot of trauma. It's impossible not to be pulled into this little corner of the world in rural Kentucky. Lucy is compelling main character, one who is easy to root for as she tries to understand what is happening to this place she loves so much.

Highly recommended.

Court Stevens writes the best YA suspense, and this book is no exception. Loved Lucy and absolutely hooked to uncover every secret and find out the truth!

This is a standalone young adult thriller. It was suspenseful and a bit sad all in one great read. Lots of twisty things to figure out.
I really enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

This is the fastest I’ve read a book in awhile that wasn’t pure smut. The way Stevens moved between past and present told a compelling story that was impossible to put down.

I thought for sure I knew several times who the villain was and was wrong almost every time. It took almost until the reveal for me to figure it out.

For a fast paced thrilling mystery, I’d definitely give this book a read.

Lucy Michaels's little brother, Clay, died when the dam broke and her town was flooded. Years later, when Martin, her new stepbrother, starts asking questions about his death, secrets resurface that seem to be connected to the flood and his death. Things get more suspenseful when Martin disappears and is found dead several days later and Lucy can't help wondering if the two events are connected.

This is a fast-paced book with far more turns than I saw coming. Several times I thought I knew who the villain was, only to be wrong. This is a young adult book that is far darker and more serious than I initially thought. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this eARC.

this got a little boring, and i haven't thought about it since finishing it. i will continue to read court stevens even though their last few releases haven't really done it for me. the plot took over over the characters, but i do see the appeal for YA readers.

I pride myself on my ability to always figure out plots before they are revealed but I can honestly say that this time I was unable to.

The turns this story takes keeps you hooked from start to finish. Lucy is a character that has faced tremendous trauma and is strong but with a vulnerability that makes her likeable and relatable.

The deeper the characters dig into this investigation, the less confident you feel about who is guilty. Now I want to reread it and see if there are any signs I missed. Gripping read.

Sorry I had to DNF. It wasn’t for me but I thank the publisher for the arc and wish the book to do well.

Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens is a heartbreaking, beautiful, and haunting thriller that lingers long after you turn the last page. This book is more than just a suspenseful mystery—it’s an emotionally packed story that delves into trauma, grief, and the resilience needed to face the past.

Stevens weaves a complex narrative, balancing a current-day mystery with flashbacks to a devastating flood that reshaped Lucy Michaels’ life and her small town. Years ago, Lucy lost her little brother in that flood, and just as she’s beginning to heal, new tragedies and buried secrets resurface, threatening to upend her world once more. The novel masterfully captures the weight of these events on Lucy and her community, making each twist hit even harder.

This is not a light read, and potential readers should check the content warnings, as the story addresses serious themes and might be triggering for some. But for those who love an intense, layered thriller that digs into both past and present wounds, Last Girl Breathing is a compelling, unforgettable read.

A twisty and gritty tale penned by a favorite author.

I love Court Stevens voice. She has a way of bringing out a down-home type of feel into her characters and Last Girl Breathing is no different.

With the past intermingling to the present and an absolute dynamite ramp-up to the end, this is a book I can easily recommend to fans of YA mystery & thriller.

My rating: 3.5*

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Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I have enjoyed the books that I have read from Court Stevens and this one was no exception.
Honestly, this one was probably the slowest paced one for me. It took me a bit to get into the story, even though it began with a traumatic event. I felt like there were a lot of characters to try to remember so that slowed me down.
She did have me guessing who the suspect was throughout, I did figure it out, but not until closer to the end of the book. I appreciated that she didn't use foul language and was still able to tell the story in a way that seemed realistic. It is a clean read and for that I am thankful. I will definitely continue to read her books.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary copy. This is my honest review.

This was a fast yet good novel. I honestly didn’t know how it was going to end but I was honestly surprised by it. Would definitely recommend to friends who enjoy this genre.

This was a sad story of betrayal and painful truths. Lucy had experienced the loss of her brother Clay 8 years ago when a dam had broken in their town. She then loses her other brother in a strange sequence of events. Lucy is determined to get to the bottom of what happened and who was involved. You just can't put this one down once you start. I read it in a few hours.

(3.5 / 5)

Eight years after heavy rain caused a dam failure that swept away her younger brother, Lucy's step-brother Martin has gone missing in the same expanse of land that was under water all those years ago. Lucy can't help but wonder if Martin's allegations that someone was behind the dam break are related to his disappearance, and soon she's swept up in an escalating mystery that involves multiple deaths and disappearances.

I found myself really caught up in the suspense of this book—the search for Martin, the questions about the dam break, the obvious suspicious behavior of Lucy's ex-boyfriend. Every once in a while, there's a brief glimpse into the day of the dam break, and the impending disaster in those sections added to the suspense for me. There are a lot of characters, basically all of whom could be involved in either the dam disaster or the current tragedy. It took me a little bit to understand the dynamics of this group of families who are said to spend a lot of time together, but once I did, I had no issue keeping them straight.

The thrill ride comes to an abrupt halt, though, a little past halfway, when part 1 ends and part 2 is basically just a page saying that time has gone by. Then part 3 picks up 2 years later. It was a bit of a jolt, though I understand the need for a time jump. I definitely didn't expect it and wonder if there was a better way to do it, but I was still invested and wanted to find out the truth of everything. However, my real issue comes with the ending. The ending is usually pretty make-or-break for suspense/thriller novels, and this one was...okay. It felt a little too much like a twist was thrown in just for the sake of having a twist. By the time we find out who's behind much of the events, I don't feel very connected to that person, so it probably doesn't hit me as hard as it should. And by that point, to be honest, I was half expecting it anyway. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book more than not and have already recommended it to my suspense-loving teenage daughter. I like that it's fairly clean overall, with no language that I can remember and only side references to affairs or other things of that nature (including a fairly uncomfortable mention of a first kiss when Lucy was 13). Though I think the pacing could have been better, I feel comfortable recommending this book to any fan of suspense novels who is interested.

I loved the action and mystery of this thriller. I also liked that it was for a girl on a competitive shooting team. I'd never read anything else like that. Stevens did a great job of keeping it not super predictable and interesting. The ending was the only thing that made me pause--it felt a little too off the rails and unbelievable for me. But I do think my students will read it and enjoy it!

i really liked other books by court stevens but found this a bit meh in terms of story and character development. still, maybe readers who aren't as finicky as i am might find it more gripping in terms of mystery

This is an YA mystery thriller about the killings past and present, where young girl Lucy realizes she might be in the middle of conspiracy and where certain information might mean - death.

I have found this a good, catchy read - yet I would love to have much more human interactions. There really is too much of secretive atmosphere is the close community, so I would think there would be much more of the human connections? Also, there is too high a pile of dead bodies here without much explanation. But the atmosphere is intense and I have enjoyed this read (which is quite a praise in my books).

The narrator was well-skilled and the narration has enhanced this audiobook exprience.

This book was so good! I really wish I had wrote my review immediately after finishing the book Sunday night because I would have had a much better review. This book literally made me laugh out loud at parts and cry at others. I alternated between the ebook and audiobook. Both were done very well and kept me interested. I didn’t want to put it down! The characters were so well written and such a deep backstory, that I felt like I knew them. There did seem like a lot of characters at first but it was easy to keep them straight on who was who. This book is so full of misdirection, lies and deception. I thought I would have it figured out only to be thrown a curveball! This happened several times. I think I finally had it figured out just pages before the reveal. This story is told in present and a specific time in the past. It is revealed little by little throughout the book what really happened in the past. And then all the events that lead up to the reveal. This book was gut wrenching and heartbreaking. I personally felt betrayed! Which was kind of odd. Swipe over for the synopsis. Or don’t. And just go grab the book! I highly recommend it.
The narrator of this audiobook was perfect for this book! I had no trouble following along, she had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning. She was able to do a good job distinguishing between everyone. So much emotion was conveyed through her narration. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

There where quite a few twists and turns to this story! I appreciated that it kept me guessing as I read it. An interesting story to pick up and enjoy.

An addictive mystery set in a small town with plenty of characters who have a lot to lose by their secrets being uncovered.